When the Detroit Red Wings shocked the hockey world by taking Moritz Seider sixth-overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, there was mixed sentiment about both Seider and Detroit’s 2019 draft class. A year later, Steve Yzerman’s initial draft as the Red Wings’ general manager can be viewed much more favorably.

Let’s dive into Detroit’s 11 selections from the 2019 Draft and see how they’ve progressed over the last year.

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Red Wings 2019 Draft Class

Here’s how Detroit’s 2019 draft picks fared in their respective draft-plus-one seasons:

Red Wings Defensemen Showing Early Progress

Last June, the Red Wings drafted all the defensemen. Moritz Seider, Antti Tuomisto, Albert Johansson, Cooper Moore, and Gustav Berglund quickly bolstered Detroit’s defensive pipeline.

A year later, all five defensemen took big steps forward in their development. Seider, in particular, showed tremendous promise during his first season in North America. Skating with the Grand Rapids Griffins as an 18-year-old, Seider frequently played heavy minutes and was depended on in all situations. 

“He’s 18, but he’s so composed and mature for his age, and the stuff he can do out there (on the ice). He’s not throwing pucks away. He wants to make plays and help teammates out,” Taro Hirose told Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News. 

Across the Atlantic, Tuomisto, Johansson, and Berglund all took noteworthy strides in their game. Tuomisto was the MVP of Finland’s top junior league and is planning on attending the University of Denver next season. Over in Sweden, Johansson and Berglund got a crash course in Sweden’s top league. The former showed off his offensive prowess and became a regular in his club’s lineup.

“His gap control, his sense of reading the play, is outstanding. And he’s so smart. SHL is a fast league, going north-south all the time, but he reads and he reacts like he (has been) playing for 10 years in the league.”

–Färjestad coach Johan Pennerborn to The Athletic’s Max Bultman (from ‘Red Wings prospect report: Albert Johansson plays ‘wise’ hockey in SHL’ – The Athletic Detroit – 6/18/20.

The Red Wings were wise to draft Seider, Tuomisto, and Johansson early on. The three defensemen could have prominent roles down the line. Plus, the 2020 draft class is relatively weak defensively, so already having blue line depth was good foresight by Detroit’s management team.

Finally, Moore put up a solid rookie season in the BCHL. His 33 points topped Chilliwack defensemen and ranked 13th among all BCHL blueliners. Moore plans to enroll in the University of North Dakota for the 2020-21 campaign.

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Bulls & Bears: Stock in Red Wings Prospects

For Detroit’s non-defensive prospects, let’s take a look at which direction their respective trajectories went during the 2019-20 season.

Robert Mastrosimone: Stock Up

As a true freshman, Mastrosimone finished fifth among Boston University skaters in points with 17. He played a top-six role and was one of the last cuts for the United States’ 2020 World Junior Championship team.

Albin Grewe: Stock Down

It was not a pleasant season for Grewe. Despite a strong performance in Sweden’s J20 league, Grewe could not solidify a spot on Djurgårdens’ SHL team. When he did suit up for the top squad, Grewe rarely saw the ice. The gritty forward could be coming to North America next season – he was drafted by the Saginaw Spirit in the OHL’s Import Draft.

Ethan Phillips: Even

Playing alongside Mastrosimone at Boston University, Phillips gained valuable experience as a true freshman. He was reliable defensively, but wasn’t able to contribute much on the offensive side of the puck. That said, there’s still plenty of time for this raw prospect to develop further.

Elmer Söderblom: Stock Up

It’s fair to say that Söderblom’s stock is way, way up. The towering forward absolutely dominated the SuperElit league. His 1.53 points per game ranked sixth in SuperElit among skaters with 10-plus games played. Söderblom will certainly be a player to watch next season with Frölunda’s SHL team.

Kirill Tyutyayev: Even

The diminutive forward put up solid numbers in both the MHL and VHL this season. For more on Tyutyayev, I’ll turn it over to fellow THW contributors Jenae and Rachel Anderson:

Carter Gylander: Stock Up

AJHL All-Star Team: Check. AJHL Goaltender of the Year: Check. Named to the Canada West World Jr. A Challenge team: Check. Gylander’s final season of junior hockey was certainly a spectacular one. Now, he’s set to enroll in Colgate University for the 2020-21 season, where he’ll compete with Andrew Farrier and Mitchel Benson for the Raiders’ starting job.

Related: Red Wings’ Draft History & Tendencies

Final Word

One year later, there are early signs that this could be a solid draft class for the Red Wings. That said, there’s plenty of time and development needed to offer a truly accurate assessment. If anything, the Red Wings greatly improved their prospect pipeline on the defensive side of the game.

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